


Irresolute Love

by NorahClark



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 08:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16806640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahClark/pseuds/NorahClark
Summary: Hermione has feelings for someone, and has for quite some time now. Will her plan to capture this wizard's attention succeed, or will it blow up in her face?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrettiestStar17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettiestStar17/gifts).



“So, tell us, Granger. Who’s the lucky sod?”

Hermione glanced up hesitantly from the book she’d been absorbed in mere seconds before. She instantly regretted her decision to study in the Gryffindor common room. Had she cloistered herself away at her favourite table in the library, she knew she would not now be gazing up into the laughing eyes of Fred and George.

“Beg pardon?” Hermione posited, attempting to look befuddled. She had a fairly good notion what they were on about, but she didn’t need _them_ knowing.

Fred looked cheekily at his brother before taking Hermione’s book, casually leafing through it. “Look at that, Gred. The brightest witch of her age, trying to play dumb.”

“Now, Forge, she’s got a right to play dumb. She doesn’t know we’re ‘in the loop,’ as it were.”

Hermione took a deep breath, roughly yanked her book back from Fred, and chose to address only George, steadily feeling the heat rising up her neck and into her face. “In the loop?”

“Oh, come off it, Granger. We know you’re in love with some bloke, who clearly hasn’t been giving you the time of day.” Fred stated. “What we don’t know—”

“Is who it is, and why the bloody hell you asked Neville to help you make the fella jealous.” George completed, grin steadily widening. At this, both boys descended upon her with a barrage of inquiries.

“So who is it?”

“And why didn’t you just ask us for help?”

“We’d serve much better in that capacity.” 

“Right! You could use one of us.”

“Or both."

“We wouldn’t mind.”

Hermione’s head was spinning, and she was beginning to feel nauseated. Of all the people for Neville to tell, it had to be the Weasley twins. “Why on earth is he telling people? When I get through with Neville, he won’t know a Mandrake from Dittany, and he’ll likely need the Dittany!”

In one swift movement, she found herself quite unceremoniously lifted into the air, before being pulled back into the seat from which she’d just been removed. Fred had pulled her into his lap, and had comfortably wrapped his arms around her waist. She found she liked this situation, perhaps a bit too much. At this thought, she realized she didn’t wish for Fred to know how much she was enjoying being wrapped up in his arms. However, as she struggled to extricate herself, she found his strong arms held her firmly in place.

“Now, now. Can’t have you harming Neville. He wanted advice, and we were all too happy to help.”

Having given up on freeing herself, Hermione relaxed into Fred’s embrace, but his grip stayed just as firm. Clearly, she would not be going anywhere any time soon.

George sat across from the two, a look of sincerity on his face. “Granger. Neville wasn’t a good choice for this task. He’s overly anxious around birds, at the best of times. What with Umbridge stomping about these days, he’s even more of a quaking pup than usual. Let Freddy help you out.”

“I thought you said I could have both of you, if I wanted.” Hermione narrowed her eyes at George. Generally, when he became serious, he was genuine, but just now, she wasn’t sure whether or not she ought to trust him. Never mind the fact that Fred would most certainly _not_ be helpful in this capacity.

“Well, ordinarily you could, but Angelina and I just started dating, and I don’t think she’d overly care for it much.” George rubbed the back of his neck, looking shockingly contrite.

Hermione felt her hair being brushed to the side, and glanced behind her at the still smirking Fred.

“Don’t worry. You’ve still got me, and I’ll do a bang up job. I do think it might help the act if I knew who you’re aiming to turn green.”

At that moment, Ron and Harry traipsed into the common room, laughing boisterously. Something about yet another run-in with Malfoy, from the sounds of it. Ron turned to see Hermione then, still sat in his older brother’s lap. Hermione had only seen Ron turn this particular shade of fuchsia once or twice previously. Seeing the look in Ron’s eye, an idea began formulating quickly in her mind. She did not, however, have time to tell Fred of her plans. So Hermione Granger, intelligent as she was, rapidly whipped herself around, and planted a kiss firmly on Fred’s mouth. Luckily, he went along with it, releasing her once the kiss had ended. She grabbed her things, and escaped to the girls’ dormitory steps, yelling over her shoulder to the twins that she’d see them later.

Hermione could hear Ron yelling, even from the door to her dorm room. This would surely be a mess, she knew, but if she worked the angle right, perhaps this _would_ work out better than had she utilized Neville’s assistance.

The key would be to not let Fred know that Ron was not the target of her affections, but rather, it was Fred himself. At least, not for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione lay in her bed unable to sleep for several hours that night. She had to fine tune this plan of hers, if it were to work.

When she’d asked for Neville’s assistance a few days prior, she had, of course, not told him about her feelings for Fred. She was fairly certain that all of Gryffindor, if not all of Hogwarts, assumed she was madly in love with Ron, and he with her. After all, his occasional raging bouts of jealousy toward her spoke volumes. Not to mention that she had never exactly discouraged his familiarity. In truth, Ron was just her friend; her best friend. Some part of her assumed that the two of them would end up together eventually, but the feelings weren’t there. At least, not on her end.

For quite some time, Hermione’s heart had been stamped by another. It was nearing a year now since she’d noticed Fred. Of course, she’d always been aware of his presence, but last year, she finally saw him. To her, he was no longer just one of the Weasley clan. He was Fred, the individual.

The night of the Yule Ball, he had asked her for a dance. She had complied, happily, and not thought much of it, as George had danced with her, as well. After Ron’s outburst, in which she ordered both Ronald and Harry to bed, Hermione found herself on the steps, crying her eyes out. Viktor had returned to the Durmstrang quarters aboard their ship, having been suddenly whisked away by Headmaster Karkaroff. So when she found herself enveloped in a pair of warm, strong arms, she was initially befuddled as to who could be attempting to console her. She glanced up, realizing to her surprise that it was Fred. He held her close for what seemed like hours, rubbing her back. Not once did he try to shush her, nor did he tell her everything would “be fine”. No, that wasn’t Fred. When she had finally cried her eyes dry and the hiccupping had ceased, he slowly pulled back, kissed her on the forehead, and escorted her back to their common room.

Since that night, Hermione found herself on high alert any time Fred drew near. It took a month or two of observing him, and thinking on him constantly, for her to realize the feelings she had developed. She remembered a favourite quote of hers from her mother’s self-made _Book of Quotes_ : “If you want to know where your heart is, look at where your mind is when it wanders.”

Hermione was extremely uncertain about his thoughts toward her, and as such, had done her best to hide the infatuation from everyone. Now it was November, and her feelings had not receded in the slightest. That being the case, she decided it was time to do something about it, and that something had led to her present predicament.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

The following morning, Hermione decided it was time to put her plan into action. First, she had to locate Fred. As it was still quite early, she presumed he would still be abed. No matter. She grabbed a small piece of parchment, scribbling down a note:

_Fred,_

_Meet me in the owlery before classes begin._

_-Hermione_

Upon finishing the note, she swiftly folded it into the shape of a paper airplane, before charming it to send itself to Fred. She knew that the ministry had a similar method for delivering interdepartmental memos, as owls were too cumbersome for such short deliveries. She did, however, tweak the charm so that it would knock Fred in the forehead repeatedly until he received the note. This would ensure his receipt in time to meet her, should he still be asleep.

After sending the note on its way out her dormitory door, she quickly scourgified herself, dressing in the day’s uniform. Hermione glanced at her reflection on her way out, pondering whether she ought to do something about her mane, but decided she hadn’t the time. So, off she went to the owlery to wait.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

After her arrival, Hermione climbed into one of the open windowsills that were found within the owlery tower. She was pleasantly surprised when Fred did not leave her waiting for long.

“Merlin, Granger! You sure know how to get a bloke’s attention! That was the most bloody annoying note I’ve ever received. Can you show me how to do that?”

Hermione noticed he had a huge grin across his face. She was glad he had responded to her message congenially. “It was meant to wake you up, so we could talk.”

“I was awake. George, Lee, and I always go to the Great Hall before everyone else gets there so we can eat and revise at our leisure.”

She’d never noticed this, but it made sense, as she generally was in the library, or having a lie-in after being up late helping Harry and Ron with their assignments. Still, she was a bit incredulous, thinking that the twins and Lee didn’t care much about their studies.

“I suppose I’m used to Ron sleeping in as late as he possibly can. Ginny, as well. I suppose I assumed it was a family trait.” She smiled weakly.

“Well, now you know. So, I’m thinking this impromptu meeting has something to do with that massive kiss you laid on me last night. Would that be a correct assumption?” As he said this, he walked over, plopping down next to her on the windowsill.

Hermione could feel herself beginning to turn scarlet, but she did not look away. “You would be correct. I thought, perhaps, we could discuss this plan of ours, since you so kindly liberated it away from Neville.”

“Well, assuming you’re trying to get ickle Ronniekins’ attention, I believe we’re already in business. He really laid into me last night. If Harry hadn’t pulled him upstairs, I do believe he might have clobbered me.”

Hermione furrowed her brow, “Any ideas on how we can proceed?”

“Just follow my lead, love. I promise I won’t lead you astray.”


	3. Chapter 3

Over the past two weeks, Hermione had grown even more fond of Fred Weasley than she had been prior to this arrangement of theirs. He was always there, but not in an obtrusive way. He’d sit with her as she revised, frequently encouraging her to lay her head in his lap so he could play with her hair while they read. He sat beside her in the Great Hall now, sometimes talking with her, but frequently carrying on with George and Lee as she chatted with Harry and Ron or Ginny. Fred was good at being around without being attention-seeking, a trait his youngest brother could not claim. She supposed it had something to do with being so close with his twin, or at the very least, having so many siblings.

However, the thing that had Hermione absolutely in knots was all the snogging. It was, undeniably, messing with her head. They generally only did this particular activity when others were around, seeing as that was the entire point of the exercise. There had been a few times, though, when it was just she and Fred. At those times, Hermione wondered if maybe he could feel something for her, beyond his general flirtiness and friendship. She realized it was unlikely, as she did not know many 17-year-old wizards that would refuse a good snogging opportunity. Oh, but Merlin, could that boy ever kiss. There was one particular incident, near the prefects’ bathroom, that Hermione was especially fond of reliving.

It was this memory that Hermione was visualizing, sitting at her favourite spot in the library, when the man in question interrupted her daydream.

“Thinking about me again, Granger?” Fred queried, tugging gently on the curl behind her left ear. “Tell me what you’re fantasising about, and I’m sure I’d be more than happy to make it a reality.”

Hermione wondered how he did it; how he made her so flustered, and yet simultaneously relaxed. She needed more of him, and the longer this went on, the more painful it became. Fred may not have been the first fellow she’d kissed, but he was certainly the only one that she’d allowed to do a lot of other things. He, of course, couldn’t possibly know that. If he did, she was certain he wouldn’t have even tried, given the parameters of their “relationship”. He always waited for permission, though. She liked that.

It must have taken her too long to respond, because Fred poked her on the tip of her nose before grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gazing down at her expectantly. She smiled up at him, a signal he knew meant he was free to proceed.

Using the hand that wasn’t lingering on her face, Fred pulled her chair closer to him and situated her between his legs before lowering his lips gently to the corner of her mouth. Fred seemed to enjoy doing this, and he did it often. Hermione could barely stand this move of his, as it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Hermione would be having none of Fred’s teasing nonsense today. She grabbed him by his overlong ginger hair, and kissed him firmly. She nearly fell out of her chair, so intent was she at pressing her body close to his. A low chuckle emitted from Fred.

Abandoning all pretence of this being a quick snog in what was, thankfully, a secluded corner of the library, Fred guided Hermione to sit on his lap, straddling him. Hermione grinned into Fred’s mouth, as she moved her hands under his jumper. She loved running her hands over the planes of his abdomen and up to his chest. She also loved that he never tucked his shirt in, allowing much easier access to his bare skin.

Fred gripped her hips, rocking her slowly against himself. Hermione was wearing a skirt today, leaving just her rapidly moistening pants against the crotch of Fred’s trousers. She could feel that he was enjoying this as much as she was as they continued to grind against one another, tongues intertwining in a dizzying euphoria. When Fred slowly pulled away a few moments later, Hermione grew worried that he felt it had gone too far, but as she gazed into his eyes, pupils blown, she knew this was not the case.

“Hermione.” Fred was slowly inching his fingers up her inner thigh. The sound of her given name on his tongue made her stomach flip. As he reached the edge of her pants, he continued to look into her eyes, before whispering, “May I?” Surprising no one, Hermione nodded emphatically.

Fred slipped his hand into her pants, petting her lower lips a few times before expertly parting them with his fingers. He then slowly dipped his finger in to stroke her clit. Hermione thought in this moment that she understood better than ever why the French referred to an orgasm as “la petite mort”. As Fred continued his ministrations on her clit, he lowered his mouth to the side of her neck, pecking and suckling up to her ear.

“You’re so warm and wet. I don’t even know how it’s possible for you to be so wet.” Fred said in a low, gravelly tone, lips pressed to her ear. “Hermione, I want you. I…”

Fred would not finish this sentence, because at that moment their secluded corner became populated by Luna Lovegood.

“Oh! There you are, Hermione! I’ve been hoping to find you to ask you for help sorting out my assignment from Professor Vector.” Luna stated in her ethereal voice, seeming to not notice the pair springing away from each other. “Ginny suggested I might find you here. Will you come up to the astronomy tower? I really could use your insight.”

“Sure, Luna. Of course.” Hermione stated, not meeting Fred in the eye.

As they walked away from Fred, Luna leaned over to Hermione, saying, “I hope it wasn’t a bad time to seek you out.”

Hermione shook her head, watching her feet closely.

“Were you letting him touch your cock pot, then?”

With bated breath, Hermione hoped against hope that Fred had not heard Luna’s question, but his snort of derision told her otherwise.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

Following the rather steamy moment in the library, Hermione had decidedly distanced herself from Fred. She knew that all of this was going too far, considering she was beyond inexperienced, and he was not remotely attached.

Fred seemed to understand the distance, still showing her affection around others, but giving her some space when no one else was around. She unsurprisingly missed his attentions. Still, she kept reminding herself it was for the best. When three days had passed, and she found herself crying in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, Hermione decided to seek advice. The question was, whom should she seek advice from? It wasn’t as though she could have talked to Ginny about her own brother. Not like this, anyhow. She didn’t trust Lavender or Parvati further than she could throw them, which was not far. She certainly would not be talking to Harry or Ron.

Then, she had a thought. She had one very good friend that was far removed from Hogwarts and the gossip mill within its grounds. Hermione walked swiftly to her dormitory, grabbing a piece of parchment and her favourite self-inking quill, and began to write a letter to Viktor Krum.


	4. Chapter 4

“Blimey, Hermione! Wait up, will you?” Ron called out, sounding rather winded.

Hermione had avoided speaking with Ron for nearly three weeks now. He had been attempting to talk to her ever since that night he saw her kiss Fred in the common room. Mostly, she’d made sure to be around groups, or with Fred. Today, however, he’d spotted her on the way to visit with Luna, and there was not a friendly soul in sight. Closing her eyes momentarily and taking one last breath to compose herself, Hermione stopped walking and turned to face Ron.

“Yes, Ronald?”

Ron stuttered to a stop, seeming to not have expected her to actually oblige his request. He quickly replaced the look of shock, however, with one of annoyance.

“I know you’ve been avoiding me, ‘Mione. I know it’s got something to do with whatever is going on with you and Fred. What I don’t know is what’s going on, and why you suddenly want nothing to do with me.”

“Ron, it’s not that I want nothing to do with you. I simply don’t know what to say to you.” Seeing the look of hurt spreading across his face, Hermione closed the space between them, wrapped her arms around his middle, and held on as tightly as she could. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with Fred and myself either. I do know that you’re my best friend, and I never want to hurt you.”

A dark chuckle reverberated out of Ron’s chest, as he pushed her away. “That’s rich, because you’re doing a fantastic job of it!”

With that, Ron turned and stormed away, leaving Hermione alone to mull over her thoughts.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

Two days after her exchange with Ron, Hermione found herself sat at breakfast, deep in thought. She was sitting off by herself, preferring to have some time alone with her thoughts. To further drive home the point of her need for solitude, Hermione had brought along her Walkman, listening to a mixtape of her mother’s favourite songs from her own adolescence. It made Hermione feel closer to her mother, as well as closer to home. She knew that she was risking the wrath of Umbridge, sitting out in the open with a muggle device. There was nothing wrong with it, of course, but Umbridge did not care for that which she did not understand. No matter; today, Hermione needed the music and the solitude.

Like clockwork, the day’s morning post came rushing in with a barrage of letters, newspapers, and the like descending upon the students throughout the Great Hall. Hermione anticipated her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She had all but forgotten the letter she had sent to Viktor the previous week, but seeing that he had finally responded, Hermione was grateful for her solitude. Without hesitation, she tore into his letter.

_Hermione,_

_As always, it is good to hear from you, my dear friend. I am sad_ _to hear of the things going on that distress you. I do remember_

_your friend, Ron, and how he would mope around after you. After the Yule Ball, you told me of how he had thrown_ _what you called_

_a “hissy fit” about you accompanying me that evening._

_At the time, I thought perhaps you had feelings for him, and he was just too stupid to do anything about his own feelings for you._ _I_

_was, of course, grateful for his stupidity, because it meant that I could spend more time with you._

_It sounds like Ron is still acting a bit stupid. It has been almost a year since that night, and he still has not declared his intentions_

_toward you? He is a fool who does not know his own heart._

_As for his elder brother… Why do you not just tell him of your true heart, Hermione? I know you are scared he will not feel the same,_

_but you should not have this worry. You are too good for all of them._

_If the other fool, Fred, does break your heart, you just let me know. I will come as quickly as I can to show him what a mistake he_

_has_ _made in hurting my Hermione._

_It makes me happy that you confide in me. Please know that I am always here at your service._

_Forever yours,_

_Viktor_

Hermione smiled to herself, and stowed the letter inside the pocket of her robes. Viktor always had a knack for cheering her up, and for that, he would always hold a special place in her heart. Hermione did not notice that George had sat down beside her, between her concentration on her letter, and the blaring of her music. Because of this, she felt as though she’d jumped out of her skin when he slid her headphones off of her head.

“Does my brother need to be worrying about other suitors stealing your heart away from him, Granger?”

Realizing George had clearly seen something of the letter, she attempted to quickly recover. “I’m fairly certain that thought has long ago crossed Ronald’s mind.”

“What makes you think I meant Ron?”

“Who else would you mean?”

“Fred, of course!”

Hermione hadn’t been expecting this answer, but she rolled her eyes nevertheless, sighing deeply. “George, no one is near us or listening right now. So just…drop the act, okay?”

George’s usual cheerful demeanor melted away to reveal one laced with concern. “I guess Ginny was right.”

With that, George departed, leaving Hermione even more vexed than she was before.


	5. Chapter 5

When Fred first heard about the favor Hermione had asked of Neville, two thoughts immediately crossed his mind. One, Neville would have a hard enough time being a real boyfriend let alone a fake one. Two, should he rise to the occasion, he’d be damned if he let Neville Longbottom place one bloody finger on Hermione Granger.

After George had finally ceased laughing, he realized that Fred had not been partaking in the humour. As always, George had quickly picked up on what was going through Fred’s mind, and convinced Neville to just let the two of them handle Hermione’s favor.

Still, Fred had not expected George’s hairbrained scheme to produce the results it had on both himself and Hermione. Fred had feared that Ron was the object of her affections, as had George. Fred’s twin, however, thought that if Fred showed his true affection to the muggleborn witch, perhaps she might turn her infatuation with Ron toward actual feelings for Fred.

Fred would be lying if he said he hadn’t been enjoying every last minute he’d spent in his pseudo relationship with Hermione. Everything was just naturally simple between the two of them. He knew he needed to just speak to her about how he felt; in truth, how he’d felt for some time now. Fred wasn’t entirely sure when he’d developed feelings for the bushy-haired little witch, but after the Yule ball the preceding year, he knew that the longing to hold her in his arms would probably not go away without due effort.

Following their rendezvous in the library, which had been most unceremoniously interrupted by Luna, Fred knew that he had to talk to Hermione before he let things go any further. He had no idea of what all she had gotten up to with Viktor, but he was fairly certain she was still a virgin. Things were rapidly getting far too complicated, and he refused to hurt her like that; even if it meant getting himself hurt in the process.

She seemed to pull away a bit after that, which left him wondering if she might care for him or if she just was enjoying the lust of it all. Ordinarily, there would be nothing wrong with pure unadulterated lust. Merlin knew Fred had partook of such couplings in the past. With Hermione, though, he couldn’t remove his emotions. So he gave her space.

After spending so much time in close proximity, it was painful not being near her as often. He could have sworn he smelled her on his bed, though as far as he knew she’d never been in his dormitory. Fred longed to just talk to her, as they had been the past few weeks. After an apparent run-in with Ron, she seemed to pull away even further. Except this time, she was pulling away from everyone.

At long last, he resorted to what all of the Weasley males eventually did and talked to Ginny. She always had insight, as she seemed to think of things from a more unique perspective. Unlike his elder brothers, she wouldn’t laugh or poke fun at whatever was troubling him. She tried to listen, and be empathetic, even when she disagreed with the subject at hand. Blimey, even Bill came to Ginny, though perhaps not as much as himself, George, and Ron.

In this particular case, Ginny thought both he and George were idiots. She thought he ought to have confided in Hermione long ago, but she understood his trepidation. With regard to Hermione’s feelings on the subject, Ginny thought that Hermione probably did truly like Fred. It just wasn’t within Hermione to fake something so raw and emotional. However, she did think that Hermione most likely thought that Fred was simply being a man of his word: assisting in making Ron jealous, and possibly enjoying a bit of snogging. He hadn’t told Ginny about the library incident. His baby sister didn’t need to hear about such things from him.

Fred shared Ginny’s two cents with George later that evening. To his surprise, his twin agreed with their sister. With that, he knew that he had to act. It was time for Fred Weasley to finally confess his actual feelings for Hermione Granger.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione did not pay attention in classes much that day; Hermione always paid attention in her classes. Even when the world was crashing down around them all, her studies never suffered. It was a comforting sort of constant. Today, however, all she could think of was getting to talk to Ginny.

There would, of course, be Quidditch practice today. Merlin only knew how long that would take. She decided the safest recourse would be to wait for Ginny in her dormitory, where she would be out of the reach of all of the boys.

Hermione soon dozed off on Ginny’s bed, cradling her open arithmancy book against her chest. She was awoken by the redhead in question, who had a quizzical look about her.

“Hermione Granger, don’t you have your own bed to take a kip in? Were Lavender and Parvati driving you nutters again?”

Hermione blinked up at Ginny, scooting into a sitting position, so that her friend could join her on the bed. None of Ginny’s roommates appeared to be around, which worked in her favor.

“Gin, I need to talk to you about something.”

Ginny smiled eagerly. “Which one of my brothers will we be chatting about today?”

“More than one, I’m afraid.” Hermione had to laugh. Ginny was much more astute than her brothers, yet she was so like them. It made Hermione sad, at times, that she had no siblings. At those times, she reminded herself that that was a hole happily filled by Harry. “George said something rather odd to me this morning…”

“George has a tendency to do such things. What’d he say?”

“Well, he said, ‘I guess Ginny was right’. What do you suppose he was talking about? It’s been bothering me all day.”

“He could have meant a lot of things. You know, since they only have the one sister, most of my brothers confide in me. By most, I mean not Percy. Although, even he chats with me from time to time…”

“Ginny! I know that you know what he was referring to! It had something to do with Fred.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I’m not telling you that one, ‘Mione. You’ll just have to figure it out on your own. I have faith in that big brain of yours, though. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m rather knackered. Practice was grueling. As much as I’m thrilled to be playing, it’s awful not having Fred and George around to be our beaters. Remind me to thank Umbridge for that the first chance I get to do so properly.”

Hermione walked toward the entrance of the dormitory, frowning to herself. She knew there wasn’t any use attempting to convince Ginny to tell her. Once she’d made her mind up, she was foolishly stubborn.

As she was about to close the dormitory door behind herself, Ginny spoke. “I know you like him, you know. Fred, I mean. You should just tell him. Screw Ron.”

That officially made two people today that had encouraged her to tell Fred about her feelings. She hadn’t really been around him much following the incident with Ron. In fact, she’d been resolutely avoiding him. Fred had seemed to somehow understand that she needed her space. She assumed he’d heard about the tiff between her and his youngest brother. _He probably thinks his job is complete, and Ron and I will get together any day now_. At this thought, a tear slid down her cheek, unbidden. Once again, as she crawled into her own bed, far earlier than normal, Hermione thought of Fred Weasley as she slipped into sleep.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

The next morning, Hermione awoke with a mission in mind: tell Fred how she actually felt. Would it be awkward if he rejected her? It certainly would. Also, she would have to rethink her plans of spending the Christmas holiday with the Weasleys. In the long run, however, it would be far better than continuing to draw this out. Besides, she needed to sort things with Ron, and she felt that she couldn’t properly do that until she had her head on straight about Fred.

As it was a Saturday morning, she was not certain where she might find Fred. With George, no doubt, but beyond that, she was uncertain. Hermione contemplated borrowing the Marauder’s Map from Harry, but thought better of it, as Ron would ask too many questions.

With that, she began her search of the castle. She began in the Great Hall, thinking of the ever-starving Weasley appetite, but neither he, nor George, were there. Next, she tried the Clocktower Courtyard, knowing from the recent multitude of time that she had spent in Fred’s company that this was a favourite haunt of the twins’. She found Lee there, but he had yet to see either twin since waking up that morning. In fact, he reported that they were already up and about when he’d awoken.

Following that, she tried the Transfiguration classroom, the owlery, and Hagrid’s hut, getting unceremoniously stuck in the last location for quite some time. Still, she did not find either Fred or George. Finally, on her way back to the castle, Hermione spotted George. He was lying on a blanket with Angelina, and the two appeared to be cloud-watching. She hated to bother the couple, but she was desperate at this point.

When she asked George if he knew where his brother was, she didn’t have to specify which one she meant. Angelina grinned up at her, and George simply replied, “Freddie’s off looking for you, of course. Try thinking of where he’d look for you, and I’m sure you’ll find him.”

That was when Hermione knew exactly where she’d find Fred. She would find him in the library.

**— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —**

Entering the library, Hermione made her way over to her familiar secluded table in the far corner of the library. It was once a place that she thought of as “her” spot, but now she’d forever think of it as their spot. As she turned the corner around the bookshelf, she saw the back of Fred’s head, sitting at the table bent over a book. Hermione smiled to herself, thinking on all she’d learned of Fred in recent weeks. He may be a sometimes brash prankster who loves to joke around, but he was also intelligent and kind-hearted.

As she eased herself into the chair across from Fred, he didn’t glance up from his book. Hermione did not say anything, knowing that he would acknowledge her as soon as he got to a stopping point in his reading. It was an unspoken rule between them.

“I’ve been looking for you, Granger.” Fred said, his face flat, as he marked his spot in the book. His lack of emotion was unsettling to Hermione.

“I’ve been looking for you, too, Weasley.” Hermione admitted, an edge of nervousness in her tone.

“What were you looking for me for?” As he said this, his face spread into a wide smirk. Now there was the face Hermione knew and loved.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said with a coy smile. “and why were you looking for me?”

“To talk to you. How about you let me go first, eh?”

Hermione was a bit puzzled by the odd look on Fred’s face, but decided to let him say whatever it was he wanted to say, nodding her assent.

“I think we need to put a stop to this ‘arrangement’ of ours. I don’t think it’s benefitting anything anymore, and I…”

Fred ceased speaking, Hermione knew, because he’d noticed the tears rolling down her face. Her worst fears had been correct! He didn’t have feelings for her, and now he was making that all too clear; in the library, of all places.

“Hermione, what on earth is the matter?”

Having buried her face in her hands, Hermione had not noticed that Fred had gotten up, coming to kneel by her chair. Seeing that she was refusing to remove her hands from her face of her own volition, Fred gently pulled them away, cupping her face with his own hands.

“Hermione, why are you crying?”

“I’m a stupid girl. They say I’m ‘the smartest witch of her age,’ and perhaps I am clever, but really I’m just a stupid girl.”

“Stop saying that! Why do you think that?” Fred asked, wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

“I-I…I let myself think…” Hermione was trying to look anywhere but at Fred while she said this, but he just wouldn’t let her look away. “I let myself hope that maybe we weren’t just faking it, and you might have actually had feelings for me like I do for you.”

After this admission, though Fred’s hands had not moved from their spot on her face, his head dipped down so that she could not see his face. Feeling suddenly emboldened by an unknown source of Gryffindor courage, she proceeded on.

“Fred, when I asked Neville to help me, I was never trying to make Ron jealous. It was you. I’ve had feelings for you for a long time now.”

It seemed like an eternity passed after this statement, with Fred still looking downward, not speaking a word. She was about to pry his hands from her face and run to her dormitory as fast as she could, realizing that Fred could easily outrun her should he care to try. This plan was proven unnecessary, however, as he soon looked up at her and chuckled quite loudly. Loudly enough that Madam Pince walked over with a grumpy glare and shushed them.

Fred waited for Madam Pince to walk away, before he spoke quietly, but firmly. “Hermione, that is possibly the most ridiculous plan I’ve ever heard. It sounds exactly like something George and I would think up.”

Standing, and raising Hermione with him, he continued. “When I heard about your plan from Neville, I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else being with you. I might have clocked poor Neville, had Georgie not stepped in and hijacked the plan from him. He’s pretty smart, that twin of mine. Knew right off the bat I was in love with you, even though I’d never told him.”

“You’re…you’re in love with me?”

“Got a problem with that, Granger?”

“No. No problem. Been feeling quite the same way, now you mention it.”

“Good, because I mean to make you mine, and keep you around for quite some time, if you’re amenable to that?”

Hermione smiled up at Fred and simply nodded, pulling him in for a kiss that she knew would turn into much more.


End file.
